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Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System, often referred to as the NES, is a system that was developed by Nintendo. It was released on July 15, 1983 for Japan as the Family Computer (Famicom), October 18, 1985 for North America, and September 1, 1986 for Europe. During its time, it was the most popular console in the video gaming business. The NES operated on 8-bit technology and had two controller ports. It was discontinued in January 1995 in North America and Europe, and September 2003 in Japan, 20 years after it was first released, giving it the record of being the longest-running video game system (when it was discontinued in Japan). The NES also came bundled with two games, Super Mario Bros. ''and ''Duck Hunt. Many other games such as The Legend of Zelda, and Ice Climber were made for it. Family Computer The Family Computer (Famicom or FC for short) is the Japanese version of the Nintendo Entertainment System which came out two years prior to North America. Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, the Middle East, and Vietnam all got the Famicom. The Famicom, even though it and the NES utilize the same hardware, they are both different systems. For instance, the Famicom has seen many different peripherals that have never made it to the NES. Differences The Famicom featured a top-loading cartridge slot, a 15-pin expansion port located on the unit’s front panel for accessories (as the controllers were hard-wired to the back of the console) and a red and white color scheme. The NES featured a front-loading cartridge slot and a more subdued gray, black and red color scheme. An expansion port was found on the bottom of the unit and the cartridge connector pinout was changed. The original Famicom and the re-released AV Family Computer both utilized a 60-pin cartridge design, which resulted in smaller cartridges than the NES, which utilized a 72-pin design. Four pins were used for the 10NES lockout chip. Ten pins were added that connected a cartridge directly to the expansion port on the bottom of the unit. Finally, two pins that allowed cartridges to provide their own sound expansion chips were removed. Some early games released in North America were simply Famicom cartridges attached to an adapter (such as the T89 Cartridge Converter) to allow them to fit inside the NES hardware. Nintendo did this to reduce costs and inventory by using the same cartridge boards in North America and Japan. The cartridge dimensions of the original Famicom measured in at 5.3 × 3 inches, compared with 4.1 × 5.5 inches for its North American redesign. The Famicom’s original design includes hardwired, non-removable controllers. In addition, the second controller featured an internal microphone for use with certain games and lacked SELECT and START buttons. Both the controllers and the microphone were subsequently dropped from the redesigned AV Famicom in favor of the two seven-pin controller ports on the front panel used in the NES from its inception. Clones The NES was distributed to other foreign countries by other manufacturers, usually illegal clones. Accessories NES Advantage The NES Advantage is a controller for the NES that lets the player use a joystick instead of a D-pad. Like the NES Max, the NES Advantage added a few more buttons. The buttons included were a slow button, and two turbo buttons. A similar third-party controller for the Nintendo Wii called "The Shaft" is also available. U-Force The 'U-Force '''is an accesory for the NES that was created by Broderbund. It has a controller, buttons not on the controller, and infrared panels to detect hand movements and turn them into signals. There is an accesory for it that came with the game ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. It was called one of the worst game controllers by IGN. "Don't Touch Introducing U-Force, the revolutionary controller for your Nintendo Entertainment System. So hot, no one can touch it. Now you can feel the power without touching a thing. It's U-FORCE from Broderbund - the first and only video game controller that, without touching anything, electronically senses your every move, and reacts. There's nothing to hold, nothing to jump on, nothing to wear, U-Force creates a power field that responds to your every command-making you the controller. It's the most amazing accessory in video game history - and it will change the way you play video games forever. It's the challenge of the future. U-Force. Now nothing comes between you and the game." NES Max The 'NES Max '''is an improved Nintendo Entertainment System controller which was released in 1988. The new additions were a cycloid (analog stick) that replaced the D-pad, and wings for a better grip on the controller. Also, the A and B buttons were smaller because of the wings. Power Pad The '''Power Pad '''is an accesory for the NES that was used to sense foot motions, similar to the Wii Balance Board and ''Dance Dance Revolution mats. The following is a list that worked with the power pad: * Stadium Events * World Class Track Meet * Dance Aerobics * Super Team Games * Street Cops * Short Order/''Eggsplode'' Power Glove The 'Power Glove '''is an accesory for the NES. It was not made by Nintendo, but by Mattel in North Americs, and PAX in Japan. At the time, it was released however, it was hard for people the use and understand the glove. Although it was difficult for many people to use the Power Glove, it was a success because it was in the movie ''The Wizard. Reception & Legacy The NES was widely loved by everyone who played on it. Parents liked it for it's majority of family-friendly games. In 2009, IGN named it the most popular game system of all-time. Many of its classic games are now available for download on the Wii Shop Channel. Category:Consoles released by Nintendo